Captain Keegan Bradley: Ryder Cup squad is ‘closest team I’ve ever seen’
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Keegan Bradley looks on while watching Justin Thomas play the 16th hole prior to the Procore Championship on Sept 10.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – One thing has stuck out to US captain Keegan Bradley during Ryder Cup preparations.
His players like each other and get along well.
That is not always the case when big egos are involved and sacrifices have to be made. But Bradley is highly impressed at the bonding that is going on as the squad prepare for the event at Bethpage Black in New York from Sept 26 to 28.
“We have a wide range of rookies, veterans, Scottie Scheffler, No. 1 player in the world, but we really have a group of a great team,” Bradley said on Sept 10, one day before the Procore Championship in Napa, California.
“These guys, they really care about one another, they treat each other with respect. It’s the closest team I’ve ever seen.”
He added that the 12-player squad get along well off the course, too, and that everybody is pulling in the same direction.
“The thing that I’ve noticed that’s most impressive is they really pull for each other and they want each other to do well,” Bradley said.
“When I was playing, I wasn’t really pulling for anybody, I was wanting to beat (guys) and play my best. These guys, they’re genuinely excited for their friend that wins a tournament and that’s really great.”
Scheffler is one of the 10 members of the Ryder Cup team playing at the event in Napa. The others are J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley, Harris English, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.
“Basically, the conclusion that we came to was it would be nice to have some competition going into the Ryder Cup,” Scheffler said.
“And it would be unusual for me to have four or five weeks off before the Masters or the US Open or something like that, so there’s no reason that I should be doing that going into the Ryder Cup.
“I’m always focused on my preparation, that’s most important to me.”
The two members not involved in the Procore event are Xander Schauffele (recent birth of a child) and Bryson DeChambeau of LIV Golf. DeChambeau is ineligible to play in PGA Tour events but was in Napa on Sept 9 partaking in some of the festivities, including meetings and a team dinner.
“He has to make a much bigger effort than a lot of the guys,” Bradley said of DeChambeau. “Bryson was there last night. He’s been incredible. He’s been more than willing to go above and beyond for this team.
“I think it’s a testament to what a good teammate Bryson is. I think it’s actually really cool to see, for the guys to see – it’s easy for the guys to come play here and come to dinner. Bryson’s got to get on a plane, he’s got to come to these meetings and I think it’s a great thing, shows the commitment that Bryson has for the team. He’s going to be a huge asset for us.”
Scheffler also said he likes the camaraderie within the group.
“When guys have questions, they’re willing to ask,” he said. “You know, Keegan I think is our leader, that’s why he’s the captain and he’s done a really good job. As far as my role on the team, I think we’re all just trying to be ourselves.
“I love the other 11 guys we have on the squad, we have great vice-captains as well and we have a really fun squad, we have a good time and everybody’s doing whatever they can in order to be prepared to go play Bethpage and that’s really all we can ask for.”
Europe beat the US in 2023 in Rome and have won 10 of the last 14 editions. But their last victory in the US was in 2012. REUTERS, AFP
